1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a coupling device for detachably connecting a medical device in particular dental handpieces to a supply tube which contains feed lines for at least one operating medium selected from electrical current, air, water and light with the coupling device comprising a pair of coupling halves which are either firmly or detachably connected respectively to the supply tube and the medical device and have sets of coupling links arranged to coact for transmission of the operating medium from the feed lines on the tube side to those on the handpiece or medical device side. The operating mediums may be of a general nature or of a specific nature such as for example a propulsion gas or air, a cooling air, spray air, spray water or electrical currents with varying or different rates of voltages.
2. Prior Art
Medical devices such as dental handpieces are of various constructions and types, for example turbine drill handpieces, micromotor handpieces, and spray handpieces. For example for a turbine handpiece, the operating medium is a driving or propulsion air and the handpiece is provided with auxiliary air and water for producing a spray mist which is often referred to as spray air and spray water. In addition, it is ofter desirable to provide illumination in the area of the drill or burr and the turbine handpiece will often include a light conductor which is connected to a light conductor in the supply tube for transmitting light to a desired position on the turbine handpiece. Handpieces, which have an electrical motor as a drive source, such as the micromotor handpieces, in addition to requiring electrical current for driving the micromotor will require cooling air for the motor. Frequently spray water is also supplied to the handpiece for spraying the area on which the drill or burr is operating.
Since each of these handpieces requires a different operating medium or a different combination of operating mediums, a coupling device for one type of handpiece, which device is used to connect the handpiece to a coupling hose, will have a different arrangement of coupling links with different dimensions than the coupling device for another type of handpiece. Since the different handpieces have different requirements for its operating medium, this different construction of the coupling links is understandable. However, if one produces six different types of handpieces, and each type of handpiece requires a different operating medium, coupling devices of six different constructions or types are necessary with one type associated with each of the six different types of handpieces.
To provide a coupling device that is designed for each of the different types of handpieces involves large expenses for designing the different types of coupling devices, for manufacturing the different types of coupling devices and for maintaining or keeping an inventory of each of the different types of coupling devices in stock. In addition, since the coupling device for a handpiece of one type may be slightly different for a coupling device of a different handpiece of the same type, the exchange of the two handpieces may require exchanging a portion of the coupling member or handpiece. Furthermore, since the supply tube for one type of handpiece only provides the operating mediums for the one type of handpiece, an exchange of the handpiece with a handpiece of a different type usually requires replacing the supply tube.
Insofar that each handpiece is usually constructed so that it is rotatable relative to the associated supply tube, the handpiece is usually equipped with a rotational coupling. This rotational coupling usually is of a different design for each type of handpiece. Frequently, a rotational coupling is also present in the handpiece in addition to the actual coupling of the handpiece to the tube. In the case of handpieces with electromotive drive such as the micromotor handpieces, a rotational coupling is arranged between the portion of the handpiece containing the drive motor and the actual grip portion. This provides a disadvantage in that each of the plurality of grip portions which may be used with one drive motor portion must be provided with the rotational coupling which increases the cost of the device.